The Julius Abure-led Labour Party (LP) has issued a stern warning to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over its alleged failure to publish the party’s candidates for the upcoming bye-elections scheduled for August 16, 2025.
In a statement released in Abuja on Tuesday by the factional National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, the LP cautioned that proceeding with the elections without including its candidates would risk rendering the entire exercise null and void.
The party insisted that its logo must appear on the ballot papers or it would have no choice but to seek the cancellation of the polls in accordance with legal provisions.
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The party further appealed to concerned Nigerians to prevail on INEC, led by Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to uphold the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act in its dealings with political parties.
Quoting the 2022 Electoral Act, Ifoh noted that any political party excluded from participating in an election is entitled to seek judicial redress.
He warned, “INEC is gambling with the huge resources of the country which are being expended in the conduct of the bye-election that is scheduled to hold on the 16 of August, 2025.
“We are not going to be helpless as the law has provided adequate remedies for any act or omission by the commission that has shortchanged the political party or put its image in disrepute.
“A political party is expected to guard its image and reputation jealously and Labour Party will not take any conduct by any agency or regulatory body intended to rubbish its reputation lightly.
“One wonders what interest INEC is protecting that will make it throw the entire country into unnecessary crisis and incurring such a colossal financial waste.
“By virtue of the Supreme Court decision delivered on the April 4, 2025, the court stated that the issues of leadership is an internal affairs of the party and going by the internal mechanism of the party, the party has held a convention on the 27th of March 2024 at Nnewi, which produced the current leadership as led by Barrister Julius Abure. One wonders what the problem is with INEC.“I
NEC under Prof. Yakubu must respect the decisions of both the Supreme Court and the leadership of the Labour Party.”
 has issued a stern warning to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over its alleged failure to publish the party’s candidates for the upcoming bye-elections scheduled for August 16, 2025.){kind=link}